Guadalajara Bakery

I used to go to Guadalajara Bakery on Washington Avenue in Houston back in the early 80’s. Their tacos would cure a hangover in three tacos flat.
I would love to have their hot sauce recipe. It was an ugly reddish brown, but it taste better than any hot sauce I have had before or since.
I always begged them for the recipe, before I knew how rude that was. The only two things she would ever say that was in it were Jalapenos and dried shrimp powder. I have tried a million times to make it, never got close.
I’d love to know how to make it.
I miss you Guadalajara Bakery in Houston

A great place for dogs!

Sadly, Guadalajara Bakery is no more… having closed its doors March 4 after losing its lease. It will be missed.

Awesome place, excellent barbacoa and hot sauce

I used to live right across the street from this place and never tried it until a week before I moved out. Needless to say I was hooked. My boyfriend and I started going here every weekend as part of our Saturday routine from then on
This place is the definition of hole in the wall. There’s a grandmother in the back who makes all the dishes, including the homemade tortillas. What really got me hooked to the place was their salsa. I swear there’s crack in it or something because I cant stop eating it. The barbacoa is one of the best there is.
Unfortunately, this place is closing its doors in 2 weeks. I dont know where I’m going to find another weekend taco place. No one will ever be able to make barbacoa as good as the abuelita in the back who occasionally comes out to refill the bowls of food. I think i’m going to have to buy 50 tacos and freeze them on the last day.

The owner is a really nice lady. The food is pretty heavy on the grease, but still tastes good (bring the tums). Sadly, this place is closing its doors forever in less than a month. Get it fast!

I’ve literally been eating here my entire life. My dad lived down the street when I was born and I live across the street now. Easily the best tacos in town and the best asado de puerco in the world. The hot sauce is to die for.

Best damn tacos in town. Don’t let the seedy area of town or the shabby exterior/​interior fool you. Get the egg/​chorizo and beans. Another family favorite is the pork and beans. Plan on arriving before 9am — they sell out of the egg/​chorizo early every day. Oh, and don’t forget their homemade hot sauce — it’s the stuff of legend.
Last tip: Bring cash and come hungry.

i grew up going to this place so love to support the mom n pop places. n you cant ask for fresher food. the gramdmother cooks in the back n they bring the hot skillet to the front when ready, yuuumm! tortilla are always hot… love the barbacoa. if your use to ur tex mex :(… this my not be the place for you but if you like traditional good tacos, youll love it. even btter after a late nite. only down fall is the building is in NEED of upDates. so hope they manage to stick around.

Decided to finally check this place out after passing by it multiple times on Washington. Honestly, the place looks a bit scary from the outside. In an old, maybe brick? building, the place looks run down. However, I was reassured when I saw a yuppie walking out the door when walking up to get tacos. I mean, how bad can it be right, when morning commuters stop there to get breakfast?
Inside, you can definitely tell it’s a ma and pa shop. After ordering, I was reminded of the Soup Nazi episode in Seinfeld in which you had to order a certain way, in a certain order. If not, the regulars instantly know you’re new. If you want tacos, first thing to tell them is how many you want, so that they can get the tortillas started.
The pork taco that I had was very good. On par with my first love — Chilosos. The tortillas are not as fluffy, but then, it’s also not as filling either. Which is a good thing, for me. Interesting fact — the guy standing behind in line had mentioned that the owner was offered 10k for the recipe for her hot sauce, which she declined. After trying it, not sure if it’s 10k worth, but it was good either way.
One important note. They don’t take credit or debit cards. Cash only.

I ve been going to Guadalajara for many yrs. The roast beef is a classic and the squash/​pork taco is a must try for the Gringos. Don’t Forget the hot sauce.
The only thing about the place is that they open up late so the working man can’t stop by for his Tacos and the family running the place can be rude and a little stingy with the portion size when filling up the tortilla.
Not the best hole in the wall from a Mexicans point of view but works in a pinch or if I’m in the area by chance.

Guadalajara is the very definition of hole in the wall. Set in a rundown building that seems almost abandoned, it is easy to pass by this place and never see it. That would be one of the worst mistakes you could ever make.
If you’re able to make it through the door before all the good stuff is gone (around 9am) you will experience a true mexican culinary delight like never before. From the chicharron to the carnitas, to the pastor con papas, everything is absolutely mindblowing. The best part is that while you’re waiting in line somebody comes and asks you how many tacos you will have so that Abuelita at the back can make you the tortillas. Now that is what I call fresh. You really need to come here early, because when they run out of something, they run out of something; so try to come before the hordes to ensure the availability of your favourites.
Normally, you would think that the fact that they run out of food and don’t replace it is a bad thing, but it truly is a blessing in disguise. Each one of these babies has the caloric equivalence of all of Micheal Phelp’s meals for the day; and trust me, you can’t have only one.
One of Houston’s most authentic restaurants is also one of it’s best kept secrets, Guadalajara has been around since way before Washington became popular, and I’m sure it will remain there long after it becomes obsolete.

K’s review was accurate until the place managed to secure the ability to stay where it’s at for at least another year. I’ve eaten at this place for over 20 years and it’s truly excellent at what it portends to be… a working man’s taco shop. It’s all authentic and consistent, along with very good. What I think really sets the place apart is the excellent yellow hot sauce. I have to get the recipe before they eventually close.

I was at Pearl Bar the other night with some friends. I mentioned to one of them that they sold tacos at the back of the outdoor area now. I hadn’t been to Pearl Bar in a few months apparently because the taco lady said they’d been there for 2 – 3 months. If I were hungry and hadn’t eaten Tex-​Mex the last three nights in a row I’d be game to try it out.
Anyhow, one of my friends says there’s a taco place she’s been to not far from Pearl Bar, on Washington, is a hole in the wall type place, and always has a line out the door. Of course she couldn’t tell me the name of the place or what it’s next to/​across from. Useless.
The next morning I’m driving down Washington towards downtown and I see this random brick building that I see people go in and out of every now and then. It’s next to the B of A with the dozen drive through lanes and across from the huge new bank building and apartment complex. As I walk up to the front entrance I notice it actually has a sign, Guadalajara Bakery and Tacos, above the door.
Walking in, it really looked like a hole in the wall restaurant probably run by a family. There was a little kid diligently busing tables and wiping down hot sauce bottles. The place wasn’t that well lit but you could tell it was clean. I wonder what his allowance is… Anyhow, there wasn’t a menu in sight. Behind the glass barrier there were different meats and ingredients for tacos. Behind that was a cooling/​display rack where a bunch of little empanadas or pies sat. When it was my turn to order, I made it clear I hadn’t been there before. She ran through the various meats and I went with the spicy pork and the barbacoa tacos. She disappeared to the kitchen for a while and came back with a few tortillas, I can only assume they were freshly made or reheated. She asked if I wanted hot sauce, to which I replied yes. I asked the fella at the cashier register what those pies/​empanadas were and he said they were pumpkin pies. Throw me one of those big fella. Two tacos and a homemade personal pumpkin pie — $ 3.50. Add a can of Squirt for another dollar. They also serve breakfast tacos but they ran out of scrambled eggs by the time I showed up.
The spicy pork taco was really good. I barely saw any of the green hot sauce under the reddish pork so I doused it with some of the Cajun hot sauce in the bottle at the table. Unfortunately, the barbacoa taco tasted like it looked — like a mass of bland shredded meat. All I could really taste was the Cajun hot sauce. The pumpkin pie was a delight, not because I like pumpkin, but because I know it’s freshly baked and the pumpkin didn’t come from a can. I know what that crap tastes and looks like and this wasn’t it. I’m looking forward to trying their other pie and taco varieties. Why does Treasures come to mind after that statement?
How else do I know I’ll be coming back? There wasn’t a line out the door, in fact it was practically empty when I came in. But as I was eating there probably 10 – 12 customers came and went. And they were the right customers. What do I mean by that? When I’m looking for a good authentic Chinese restaurant, I’m going to one full of Chinese people, not round eyes… I love round eyes, you know what I’m sayin.

I heard about Guadalajara in passing from @she_eats on twitter, and decided to check it out. It’s awesome!
There are a lot of taco and Tex-​Mex places that have developed their own eclectic, even hippie sort of brand, and some of those are good, but Guadalajara is none of that. It’s just people making authentically fantastic food. No hype at all.
Guadalajara is in a standalone building on Washington but it’s every bit a «hole in the wall» in look and feel. The windows have bars and you would just keep driving except for the old «yes, we’re open» sign in the window.
You step in and there are a few tables (4 or 6?) with basic metal folding chairs. And there’s a line… you get in line and shortly must answer «how many?» No menu is in sight. I said «3». When I got to the counter, they were getting my tortillas and then the woman behind the counter said something I couldn’t quite hear, but it didn’t matter, I said «beans, beef (pointing to the shredded beef), and hot sauce». She made one, asked again, I said «same», and then I ordered the third one with barbacoa (and of course hot sauce). There was one other meat option that I think was ground beef.
By this time I’d paid (cash only), and my tacos were handed to me in a small brown paper bag. We sat down and ate. They were awesome. Delicious, flavorful meats, a thin layer of beans, and the green hot sauce made for a messy meal I consumed in no time. YUM.
The hot sauce is fantastic, and reasonably hot, I highly recommend it if you can take the heat (it’s not all THAT hot, just very nice).
In and out for less than 5 bucks with some great food, and very near to the best coffee in Houston (Catalina). Perfect. Give it a try!

It seems odd to write a review about a place that is on its deathbed. But I feel that some trace of Guadalajara Bakery needs to be preserved somewhere, for posterity if nothing else.
Guadalajara is a bakery plaintively stuck in a moment of time that has long passed us by. Washington Avenue has gentrified. There’s no way around that. And the sad, inevitable result of that gentrification is the loss of establishments like this. Guadalajara didn’t ask for this to happen; it’s the same as it ever was inside: quiet tables, worn linoleum, paneled walls hung with pictures of obscure saints and newspaper clippings, a cooler full of canned drinks behind the register. The world changed, and left them behind.
When you walk in the door, you’re asked — before anything else — how many tortillas you want. Think fast: will it be three tacos today? Or four? Corn or flour? As soon as they have your response, the kitchen starts making your tortillas, which come out scorchingly hot and as fresh as a summer thunderstorm.
The ingredients for your taco change from day to day, but I stand by the chicharrones and barbacoa as my favorites. The chicharrones are, bar none, the best I’ve ever tasted. Soft, pillowy, they resist only slightly as you bite into them. They’re incredibly spicy on their own, but the truly brave can experience an added depth of flavor with a dash of Guadalajara’s famous green sauce on top. The barbacoa is succulent, tender and deceptively flavorful, considering it looks like a soggy pile of shredded meat upon first glance.
You have perhaps a few more days to try Guadalajara before it’s lost forever. If you’ve never gone before, don’t wait. You’ll never forgive yourself if you miss it.